An odd conundrum to have...

W

weltonfilment

Active member
It's been awhile since I posted in here (I think my last post was about finding a PA job in LA four months ago), but I've come into a situation that I never quite expected to be in. Just as a warning, this could get long.

Nearly 5 months ago I moved to Los Angeles from Seattle. I dropped out of school in Seattle and worked full time to save up for my journey. Since I've been here I've had a pretty steady stream of PA and other low-grade film related jobs. Right now, I've been working as a permanent staff PA at a motion graphics company called Prologue Films (founded by the guy who co-founded Imaginary Forces, if any of you are familiar). They specialize in opening title sequences for major Hollywood productions.

The thing is, they like me at the company and I have a chance to move up and do other production stuff (probably moving towards the editorial department). On the one hand, the money is good, the connections are good, and the experience is good. On the other hand, I don't like LA, I have almost no time for my own personal projects, and I want to go back to Seattle and finish school. My girlfriend of nearly four years just graduated and I went to her ceremony and I think it just kind of hit me that I really should go back and finish my degree. So I went and re-enrolled in school for the fall quarter.

My girlfriend (of course) is very happy that I want to come back and finish school. She doesn't necessarily want to move to LA, but she'd do it if I really wanted her to. The thing is that the long hours (usually 14 hours a day) would probably kill our relationship. She'd be down here for me, but we'd barely get to see each other. Doesn't seem very fair to her.

The thing is, I'm not sure if leaving here is the best idea career-wise. I know there are sacrifices I must make to advance my career, I'm just wondering if I'd be stupid to give up this kind of opportunity. I'm afraid that if I leave, I'll have that "I wonder what would have happened if I stayed..." question nagging in the back of my mind.

Back in Seattle there is definitely less of a film community, but I think I could really just focus on writing and developing my own projects and take things slower. Before I left I for LA I was always in a hurry to get somewhere with my career, but now that I have an insight into the business, I realize that I've had a lot of misconceptions about this industry and I'm willing to slow down the pace considerably and really develop my craft.

I kind of have the feeling now that people come to LA to get into Hollywood, but if I have no intention of making hollywood films, then is this still the best place to be? Part of me thinks that I should stop trying to pursue making films as a "career", but instead just try to focus on making something great and getting it out there, instead of trying to squeeze myself into an already oversaturated industry. Of course I want to make a living doing this, but I'm not trying to line up at Hollywood's doorstep waiting to be handed a feature.

When you stop looking, you find what you were looking for.

I'd be interested to know people's thoughts on this. Thanks.
 
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Hell no. I say stay in Seattle. beautiful city. beautiful state. Hollywood can suck it in my opinion. Seattle prolly has a bigger film scene than you think, you just have to look for it.

however, I should also advise that I don't know what the hell I'm talking about most of the time.
 
from all that i've seen/heard/experienced the film industry can be brutal. everything is fast paced, under a deadline, full schedules. if you're not into that, then stay in seattle, get your degree, and have a cool hobby.
 
Part of me thinks that I should stop trying to pursue making films as a "career", but instead just try to focus on making something great and getting it out there, instead of trying to squeeze myself into an already oversaturated industry.
Click to expand...

What about funding your film? Why not keep working, keep learning, keep saving, keep making connections. You're in the middle of some of the best techs and actors on the planet.

And, yes, LA sucks.:evil: But you don't have to stay there forever.
 
Garth Brooks went to Nashville and within a few months, he went back to Oklahoma.
He wasn't ready for the life/sacrifce in Nashville. Same goes for you. Go back
to Seattle. Get educated. Live a little. LA isn't going anywhere. It will be there
if/when you are ready.

Charli
 
go bak to Seattle finihs schoool. LA will always be there, and you already have experience, as a PA, that will always be on your resume`. if anyhting you just pick up where you left off.
 
Well, it's official. I just gave my 2 weeks notice at the post house I work at. I will be returning to Seattle and beginning school in the fall. I should be able to graduate by fall or winter of next year if I do summer school -- hopefully.

However, I've decided to take a year off from filmmaking. I might do some writing, but definitely no shooting/directing. I realize that I just need to focus on school, and take a break from film for a little while. I'm going to spend that year watching as many movies as I can and reading as many books on the craft (as well as other books that I need to read that aren't related to making films). My Netflix queue has something like 400 movies in it right now. That should get me through the year lol.
 
Congratulations on your decision, sounds like it'll all work out fine.

I think it's a good idea to get as much education as you can with books and movies, but at the same time going out and making movies is a good education in itself.

I would say at least do some weekend filmmaking, just to stay sharp, you know? But that's just me...
 
What's most important is you made a decision and stuck to it (thus far) and I know A LOT of people that can't do that.

Way to go.
 
If my girlfriend said she loved me and I the same. I would ask her to move to LA even if she didn't want to. If she said she would for me and for the first few years of our lives in LA she didn't see me a lot because I was trying to live my dream... even if I was destined to fail... and she wanted to break up with me because of it. I would say she doesn't love me.

(not picking on you... thats just how I would feel)
 
I'd have kept the job. Chicks are easy to find. Experience in Hollywood? Not so much.

And as athletes say whenever leaving school early ... "I can always go back to school."
 
I disagree that chicks are easy to find. Yeah you can throw a stone and hit something with boobs, but if its "the one" its not easy to find. But here again, if its "the one", you'd both do whatever it took to fulfil the other ones dream, so thats a moot point.

If I said I wanted to move to bumsnap idaho to follow my dream, I know my fiance would go.
 
It's not all about the girlfriend...

It's not all about the girlfriend...

Perhaps some of you got the wrong idea about my original post. My decision to move is not completely based on my girlfriend. A lot of it has to do with going back and finishing school and a desire to develop my projects outside of LA. If I wanted to stay, but my girlfriend didn't, then yeah, I would still stay (otherwise, I wound't have moved down here in the first place because she was never really too happy about the idea). Oddly enough, she's considering moving somewhere else as well to work (she's been talking about Europe). So it would make no difference if I'm in LA or Seattle for her, if she's going to live somewhere else.

Once I finish college, I may move back to LA (although probably wouldn't do it right away; it might be several years). I'm never saying never, but I really do feel like LA is a place for people who want to "make it" in the industry and work their way through the Hollywood side of things. If you're an aspiring independent filmmaker, it really just depends on if you think LA will be conducive to your creative needs, because in all truth you can make a movie just about anywhere.
 
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